In sports merch, the clock is the boss. Fanatics SVP of Operations Wayne “Skip” Lee walks through a hot-market playbook where championship buzz turns into next-morning deliveries

We hear about sunrise delivery in the winning city and why the first 72 hours/7 days decide the season’s biggest sales. Skip breaks down how they stage inventory, make halftime calls on what to print and where to ship, and use AI to set size curves, place inventory, and block bad customizations before they hit a press.

• Watch the livestream of this episode on YouTube

Takeaways:

• Why “speed is the product” is an operating metric, not a motto
• The hot-market window: 72 hours → 7 days that drive outsized revenue
• How sunrise delivery works and when it’s worth the cost
• Network design that beats distance (local presses, nearshore partners)
• Halftime adjustments as real-time ops: re-printing, re-routing, redeploying
• Where AI actually helps: size curves, placement, and QC before print
• The fate of “loser merch” and lessons for responsible excess inventory

Links mentioned:

• The Logistics of the NFL
• Championship/Loser Merchandise

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